The Barer Report of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey advisory committee that supports integrating the Rutgers Law School into an expanded Rowan University has understandably created a firestorm of controversy. Such a move would be a major setback for the state of New Jersey and higher education in particular.

Integration would wipe out the alma mater of three generations of proud and loyal graduates of the Camden campus of Rutgers Law School. I suspect a vast majority of its graduates — current or prospective financial contributors — are going to walk away from any such commitment to the law school.

Rutgers Law School has earned an enviable reputation as one of our finest and most respected law schools. It didn’t happen overnight, and it is a status that money cannot buy. It is the result of decades of hard work in nourishing a brand that has come to be identified with the highest of academic standards.

Rutgers Camden graduates have truly made a difference in their communities, and their success stories continue to build upon that remarkable heritage. To destroy that legacy would be singularly tragic.

I am one of three generations of proud graduates of Rutgers Law School, Camden. My son graduated in 1993, and my eldest grandson graduated last year. We cannot comprehend such a seemingly thoughtless proposal to eliminate our law school.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” — this misguided and short-sighted recommendation should be rejected.

-- Bill Hughes,
Ocean City
The writer, a graduate of the Rutgers Law School-Camden, Class of 1958, represented the 2nd Congressional District (1975 to 1995) and served as U.S. ambassador to Panama (1995 to 1998).

Bye-bye, Bromley — We’ll miss you

The Bromley Inn in Trenton, owned and operated by Rick Roth and family, closed its doors last Friday. A long-standing and unique establishment with lots of history, it will be truly missed by its clientele.

One of my friends commented that when she entered the Bromley, she felt like it was 1920 — there were no television sets or high-volume music, which made it very conducive to the art of conversation. Located not far from the old fairgrounds, persons such as Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill, when touring the country, were guests there, when it was an inn.

Rick’s grandfather, his father, and in recent years, his son Fredrich, made it a four-generation establishment. Rick liked to say the Bromley was not a restaurant, just a tavern that happened to serve food. Rick Roth and his wife Gloria, son Freddy and girlfriend Ivy, as well as daughter Alexandra always made it a point to greet guests warmly and make them feel right at home. Longtime employees Dee, Debbie, Uncle Stevie, Jimmie and the late George Hancock made the Bromley a place to remember.

We among many others will truly miss the old place, and we wish the best to everyone who made it so special.

-- Marie and Bob Malloy,
Columbus

Bills calls for centers to think twice before moving

Protecting jobs for New Jersey is one of our top priorities. That’s why we’ve introduced legislation that would require employers who relocate a call center from the state to a foreign country to notify the state and remit the unused value of any state grant, guaranteed loan, tax benefit and any other financial support they’ve received.

We need to ensure that New Jersey taxpayers aren’t providing their hard-earned tax dollars in the form of grants, incentives or loan guarantees to companies that are taking money out of our state economy, not to mention compromising customer service.

Our recovery is lagging behind the rest of country, and we should be using New Jersey tax dollars to save middle-class jobs, not giving companies money to send these jobs to foreign countries.

While our “leaders” in Washington, D.C., continue to bicker over every piece of legislation that crosses their desks, this issue should be a no-brainer for them. The New Jersey Assembly approved the bill on a bipartisan basis, and members from both parties are sponsoring similar legislation in the House of Representatives: Reps. Frank LoBiondo (R-Mays Landing), Rush Holt (D-Hopewell) and Steven Rothman (D-Hackensack).

Recently, the Florida Senate approved a bill that is even more stringent than ours here in New Jersey. In the West, Arizona’s legislators are also pushing a bill to ensure call centers are not sent overseas.

Some companies may think of this as anti-business or as a penalty for being a global business. We see it as an incentive to keep our businesses here, keep our jobs here and keep our vital information here.

By incentivizing businesses to keep jobs here, we can make New Jersey more affordable for residents and keep our tax dollars hard at work in our great state.

-- Connie Wagner and Timothy Eustace
Paramus
The writers are Democrats who represent the 38th District in the New Jersey General Assembly.

Bills help save babies’ lives

In “Planned Parenthood leader issues battle cry” (March 29), the president of Planned Parenthood says, “[W]e are seeing a whole slew of bills aimed at nothing more than humiliating women.”

Another way of looking at this is that these same bills are aimed at saving the lives of unborn babies. The president, Cecile Richards, also says that “80 percent of parents say they talk to their children about sex. When you ask teens, they say they never talk to their parents about sex.” The operative word here is “teens.” Teens in trouble are not necessarily going to be honest or they would be talking to their parents instead of Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood is an organization that undermines parental authority. There are other organizations that provide information to teens but do not offer abortions. Some offer an ultrasound so a teen can see the living fetus growing inside her so that an informed decision can be made.

-- Ray Auletta,
Bordentown Township

Community supports YWCA’s empowerment of women

The YWCA Princeton launched Women’s History Month on March 1 with the celebration of its 29th annual Tribute to Women awards dinner, which highlighted the personal and professional achievements of 12 area women and their commitment to the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. With the help of the community, the event was an incredible success, raising nearly $80,000 to support the YWCA Princeton’s programming and services.

The evening was kicked off with remarks by our honorary chairwoman, Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As the first woman and African-American in her position at the foundation, she stands as an example of our mission. It was an honor to have her lead the evening.

Community leader Suzanne McCroskey received the YWCA Princeton’s Waxwood Award, which recognizes the lifetime achievement of a woman who has made a truly distinguished contribution to the YWCA.

Countless community partners were involved in making the event a success, and the YWCA Princeton appreciates their support and generosity. We thank the nearly 400 community residents who attended the event, our event sponsors, Bill and Judy Scheide, NRG Energy, WithumSmith+Brown, and The Times of Trenton, as well as in-kind donors Jill Jachera and Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Company.